Ross Tucker: When Did The Giants Become The Jets?

November 14, 2017 at 12:35 pm

(Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

It’s been an awful season for the New York Giants. They started 0-5 (losing three games by five points or fewer), beat a team (Denver) that is riding a five-game losing streak, and have now lost three straight games – and were outscored 103-45 in the process.

It’s been ugly.

“They’re an embarrassment,” former NFL player and current NFL analyst Ross Tucker said on CBS Sports Radio’s The DA Show. “They really are. I never say that, but I was watching that 49ers game. I’ve never seen a team that I can remember have that many guys passing up physical contact and having piss-poor effort like I’ve seen from the Giants the last couple weeks.”

The Giants gave up 51 points in a Week 9 loss to the Rams before giving up 31 points to the previously winless 49ers in Week 10.

“It’s a disgrace to a lot of the guys that have played for that franchise and what that franchise has meant to their fans to see what Eli Apple and Janoris Jenkins and some of those guys do multiple times a game,” Tucker said. “Frankly, I’ve never played for the Giants, but it still makes me sick. . . . Anytime I see a pro football player who is clearly not playing as hard as he can and trying to avoid physical contact, I got a real problem with that. At the same time, you see these guys getting suspended, showing up late, being disobedient and then you also have anonymous quotes to people in the media. When did the Giants turn into the Jets?”

Last year, the Giants went 11-5 and made the playoffs. This year, they might go winless at home. New York has four home games left, but the competition – Chiefs (6-3), Cowboys (5-4), Eagles (8-1) and Redskins (4-5) – will be stiff.

Have the Giants quit?

“Some of them have,” Tucker said. “Other guys haven’t. Olivier Vernon still plays his butt off. Landon Collins is still flying around. They got guys that haven’t, but they have some guys – Eli Apple and Janoris Jenkins, there’s no explanation for that. Have they had cameras in their face? I know Janoris Jenkins walked out, wouldn’t even answer questions after the game. I would just love to hear what the explanation is from those guys for their effort on those plays.”

Needless to say, Tucker doesn’t see Ben McAdoo returning to the Giants next year – or, for that matter, Bucs coach Dirk Koetter, who is 3-6 this season.

“No, I’d be surprised,” Tucker said. “Unless they can somehow turn things around and start to get things at least going in the right direction – they still have seven games. That’s a lot of games to go 5-2 or 4-3 or something to show something. Just watching their teams play, I don’t envision that.”